


his dragon

by Dawnlightsilhouette



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Cute, Dragon Roy Mustang, Dragon shifter, Fluff, Hugs, M/M, Prince Ed, Wholesome, alternative universe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-12
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:48:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 9,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24146911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dawnlightsilhouette/pseuds/Dawnlightsilhouette
Summary: In celebration of the anniversary of the mutual support of Xerxes and Amestris, the Amestrians give a big black Dragon to the royal Family of Xerxes as a gift. Prince Edward immediatly befriends the Dragon. He doesn't yet know, that Dragons can learn to speak human language and shift into the form of a human, but he will find out.
Relationships: Edward Elric/Roy Mustang
Comments: 71
Kudos: 308
Collections: RoyEd month





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Day 12 of royed month 2020 prompt: Dragon  
> This is gonna have more chapters but probably just a few, I don't know yet.

Edward's eyes widened as the Amestrians came closer and spread out on the stairs outside the palace of the xerxian royal family. Among the many nobles and their subjects who came to celebrate the anniversary of the mutual support pact between Xerxes and Amestris was someone, or rather something, that was extremely unusual. A large black dragon stood between the Amestrians in their blue uniforms, who all looked very small from the pillars at the top of the stairs under which Ed and Alphonse were standing. All of the dislike Ed had felt for the visit to the Amestrians and the celebrations that came with it, was forgotten.

While Ed's parents, the King and Queen of Xerxes greeted the Amestrian monarch in the area in the middle of the great stairs, Edward sneaked through the crowd unnoticed and ran to the dragon. It was fixed with heavy iron chains that wound around its snout, wings, and neck. A kind of huge collar was around it's neck, with several other chains attached to it, the other ends of which were on carriages or in the hands of several Amestrians. But Ed paid no attention to the chains, he just looked at the dragon. He had never seen a real dragon before, only drawings in books. He slipped through the ranks of people who did not pay attention to him, but looked at the two rulers talking on the stairs.

Unnoticed, Ed made it to the dragon and stopped right next to it. The dragon was huge, at least from Edward's perspective. His scales were of a deep black and shimmered slightly in the sun. There were a number of jags on his back, along his neck and tail. His wings were folded and he was holding them close to his body, but you could still guess that they were huge. There were gigantic claws on his paws and a pair of horns on top of his head. Ed gently reached out and touched one of the front legs. It was warm and the scales were smooth. Ed could even feel the muscles under the thick skin. He smiled and placed his other hand on it too. He stroked the scales with both hands until he felt a huff of air from above. He looked up and directly above him was the dragon's head, only a hand's length away. His head was bigger than Edward's whole body, his eyes as dark as his scales. He sniffed Ed and gazed at him, eyeing him up and down. Ed hesitantly reached up with a hand and placed it on the dragon's snout, right between the two nostrils.

The dragon blinked, otherwise he didn't move at all. Ed left his hand there, waiting for the dragon to give any sign that he should leave it alone, but when it didn't do anything like that, Ed carefully began to pet the dragon. A faint sound rose in the dragon's throat.

Before Ed was sure whether it was a growl or a purr, he was distracted by the bystanders. Made aware by the noise, several Amestrians had turned around and were now calling out to Ed worried, telling him to distance himself from the dragon. Their calls alerted everyone else and soon Ed's parents and King Bradley, with whom they were still talking, became aware of the situation. Hohenheim took a few steps away from the other two and stood on a step to see Ed better. "Edward", he shouted as loudly as he could, "Get away from the beast and come here right away." Ed sighed in frustration. He knew this tone of voice. He would definitely get into trouble later. He stroked the dragon's nose one last time, then ran through the rows of confused Amestrians to the stairs and climbed up the stairs. As he ran, he looked over his shoulder once more. The dragon gazed at him still, Ed would have liked to know what he was thinking.

When he arrived alongside his parents and Bradley, his father apologized to the Amestrian ruler, who stared at Ed in confusion. Bradley cleared his throat and explained that the dragon was intended as a gift. It was one of the last, if not the last, dragon in Amestris. The rest had been exterminated because they were considered a pest. There had been no dragons in Xerxes for a long time, so Bradley had brought them here for the menagerie of the Xerxian royal family. He hadn't been able to know that they hadn't had a menagerie for years and Hohenheim simply didn't mention it, but thanked him for the generous gift. Ed said nothing. To say out loud that he thought that the dragon should rather be released, when you couldn't do anything with him anyway and he was the last one, would have resulted in nothing but more trouble for him. Ed was not yet good at political things like this. It probably would have been an insult to Amestris to reject the dragon, but it was an insult to the dragon to accept it.

The royal family spent the rest of the day talking to the Bradleys and Amestrian nobles, eating a banquet with them, and, in Edward's case, getting bored to death. In between he told Alphonse about the dragon. Al called him a fool for just walking to a giant predator, but was still interested in what Ed told him.

The next day, Ed ran into the palace's gardens. He hadn't been told where the dragon had been taken, but Ed had noticed how a group of soldiers had been chosen to take care of the dragon, and they had been talking about a pit where the dragon was. They could only mean one place and Ed ran to that. It was an old, comparatively small arena, in which there used to be fights in front of spectators, but which had not been used for a long time. In the middle was a round surface and around it were rows of benches that continued to rise and rise like stairs. At one point there was a box, which was raised but directly on the battle area and had a good view of the entire arena. Nevertheless, the dragon guards, who brought some chairs and a table in the box and talked, did not notice that their prince was sneaking down through the audience ranks.

In the middle of the arena there was a large iron ring that was anchored to the ground and around this ring was a heavy iron chain that was long enough to allow the dragon to walk to the edges of the surface, the other end of which was attached to the collar around the dragon’s neck. The rest of the chains had been taken from the dragon, only the one on his neck remained there and at first Ed thought the dragon could tear himself free if he tried, but he seemed too exhausted for that. The dragon was curled up on the ground, only a few yards from the iron ring. The dragon's heavy, steady breath, under which his body rose and fell, made Ed think he was sleeping.

Ed crept cautiously closer, drawn to him by the fascination of the dragon, like by a magnet. He knelt on the floor next to the dragon's head and placed his hand on the warm black scales again. The dragon didn't show whether he noticed it or not. His eyes remained closed and he didn't move. Ed leaned forward and rested his cheek on the dragon's nose bridge. It felt really good, even if this was a fire-breathing beast, as his father explained to him yesterday while scolding him. Ed felt so comfortable and safe as if he were sitting next to a dog. He put both arms around the dragon's head and sighed comfortably, rubbing his cheek against the scales.

Ed didn't know how much time had passed, but eventually he opened his eyes again and turned his head so that his chin was now resting on the scales. To his surprise, he found that the dragon's eyes were open as well. Ed had no idea when he'd opened them, the dragon hadn't moved the entire time and had breathed calmly, Ed had been convinced that he had slept. The dragon gazed at Ed and kept eye contact with him. Unsettled, Ed moved away from him again, but as soon as he had brought some distance between them and slid back a bit, the dragon pushed his head back into Ed's arms so they were in the same position as before. Ed blinked in surprise. The dragon blinked back and made the same sound as the day before. Very gently and carefully he pressed his nose closer to Ed and closed his eyes relaxed. Ed giggled and stroked the scales. So it was a purr after all.


	2. Chapter 2

The next time Ed got to see the dragon was a few days later. The Amestrians finally left so he didn't have to endure being dragged to boring meetings with Amestrian nobles or even more boring conversations during dinner parties by his father. The very moment he new he was free from all of that, Ed started running to the dragon pit and didn't stop until he was standing at the top row of stone benches. This time the dragon was obviously not asleep. 

The dragon walked in circles, its head just low over the ground. It was just as far away from the center of the arena where the chain was attached to the floor as was possible and kept walking around and around, the tail dragging over the floor, the wings hanging down. Ed blinked in surprise. The dragon didn't give of the impression of being a powerful, proud predator anymore. Instead it reminded Ed of an animal in a zoo that had a too small cage and showed its frustration with unhealthy behaviour patterns, which wasn't far from the truth. 

"He looks very sad, doesn't he?", Ed heard a voice behind him. When he turned around he saw Maes Hughes who was approaching him with a sad smile. He bowed lightly to Ed and stood next to him, his gaze fixed on the dragon. "Now that he's fully awake, he is getting frustrated with boredom. Dragons sleep most of the time either way but in his waking hours he needs some change, something positive that will bring him some joy. The other dragon keepers and I are already thinking about what we can do. I'm considering asking Nina for some spare dog toys, though for a dragon they're tiny.", Hughes told Ed who nodded in understanding. 

When he looked back at the dragon, he noticed that he had stopped walking. Instead he stood as far in Ed's and Hughes's direction as the chain allowed and stared at Ed with a slightly dropped jaw. "That's weird. Somehow he looks so surprised.", Hughes thought aloud but Ed ignored his words. Instead he started running down the stairs. 

The closer he got to the dragon the wider its eyes got and the more excited it looked. By the time Ed had reached the foot of the stairs, the dragon tapped its front paws on the floor, wagged its tail and pulled at the chain to get closer to Ed. 

Ed panted and walked to the dragon, a bit flustered at its display of excitement upon seeing him. The dragon lowered its head and greeted Ed by sniffing him, Ed's hair got blown out of his face when it exhaled. Ed walked close enough so the dragon didn't have to pull on the chain, then he opened his arms. Immediatly the dragon's head nestled into the hug, very careful not to use to much force and push Ed. When Ed's arms closed around the dragon's head as much as possible and he rested his cheek against the black scales, it was as if a weight fell off of the dragon's shoulders. He sighed and let his body slump to the ground. When Ed started petting him, his eye lids dropped and he made a purr like sound like he had done before. 

Ed snuggled against the dragon and didn't notice Hughes, who had followed him in an attempt to stop him, but had frozen in place when Ed hugged the dragon. Blinking in confusion he watched as Ed and the dragon hugged.


	3. Chapter 3

Hughes hurried around the dragon pit and to the platform at its edge where the other dragon keepers and he had set up a table and chairs. Riza, with whom he was on shift, was standing there, her rifle in her hands. She stared at the dragon in complete confusion, watching as he was still pressing his nose to the prince's body and purring happily as he was hugged and caressed by him. Hughes stopped beside her, out of breath and leaning his hands on his knees. "You have to... put that down again.", he panted. Startled out of her amazement, Riza turned to him. "Huh? What? Oh, you mean the rifle. I... When the prince ran down the stairs, I just grabbed it in case it would attack him.", she replied absentmindedly. "I know, but... If you shoot at the dragon, you'd only make it angry. Better put it down, it stares at you every time you pick a weapon up.”, Hughes replied. Riza nodded and put her rifle down.

The two stared at the dragon and Ed perplexed. "Should we get the prince out of there?", Riza asked indecisively. Hughes shrugged. “I'm not quite sure. I mean, maybe we should for safety's sake, but it doesn't seem to me like he's in danger. To be honest, I think it would be us who would be in danger if we try to take him away from the dragon.”, he said. Riza frowned at him. “It's a dragon. A dragon! And the prince hugs him. The dragon only needs to snap once and Edward is just gone.", she said worried. "Yes, yes, but... look at those two.", Hughes replied and pointed at them.

The dragon had dropped on its side and closed its eyes relaxed as Ed ran his hands up and down its neck. The black scales were almost the size of Ed's hands, smooth and hard. Even with a spear they could not be pierced. Ed tried to find out whether if he could reach around the dragon's neck with both arms, but failed. "Wow, you are a really big boy. I mean, when I read about dragons or see drawings of them, they look about twice the size of a horse, but you're a lot bigger. Your teeth alone are pretty much as long as my forearm, I think.”, Ed said to it and went to the dragon's mouth to check his thesis. The dragon rolled onto its stomach, its chin on the floor and it watched curiously what Ed was doing. Ed slipped his hands between the dragon's lips and lifted his upper jaw upward. At least he tried, and the dragon gave in and opened its mouth. Two rows of huge, razor-sharp teeth were exposed in front of Ed's eyes. Ed ran his fingertips over a few of them in admiration for the huge animal. "Let's see. For example, if I look at one of your back teeth...", Ed muttered, leaning forward and stretching his arm so he could compare its length with the tooth. Laughing happily, he withdrew and circled the dragon's head so that he came back into his field of vision, whereupon the dragon closed its mouth again. "I was right, big boy!", Ed exclaimed triumphantly, leaning against the dragon's forehead.

Riza and Hughes watched the spectacle with dropped jaws. As Ed leaned his torso into the dragon's mouth, Riza's hand twitched back towards her rifle. When Ed started to pet the dragon again, the two exchanged a look. "We have to tell the others about that.", Hughes said. Riza nodded. "They will never believe us.", she replied.


	4. Chapter 4

"That's a joke, isn't it?", Havoc asked, looking back and forth between Hughes and Riza with a raised eyebrow. "See, I knew they wouldn't believe us.", Riza said to Hughes, but Hughes just smiled and checked his watch. "Yes, but Ed said he would come back today and then you can see for yourself whether he cuddled the dragon yesterday or not.", he replied happily. "Shouldn't we make sure that the prince doesn't get too close to the dragon?", Fuery asked nervously. He knew that the prince was unlikely to follow what he was told, but he also knew how dangerous dragons could be. It was surprising that the dragon had been so calm until now. Nobody had even been hurt by it.

"In all honesty, and you know I am speaking from the perspective of a caring father who is no further than putting a young one like Ed in danger, I believe that letting him be with the dragon as much as he wants is no problem at all. Just look at the dragon.", Hughes explained and pointed to the huge predator that was lying flat on the ground on the opposite end of the arena and was staring with wide eyes at the point at the top of the stairs from which Ed would come . He looked like a dog who was excited about seeing his favourite human, only that he was much bigger and scaly and insanely strong and able to breath fire. The tip of his tail whipped back and forth nervously and if he could, he would probably run up the stairs and to the castle to meet Ed.

“You're right that he's behaving nicely, but he's still a wild animal, a beast that can cause a tremendous amount of destruction. If he wanted, he could burn us all and anyone else who gets in his way. No spears or arrows can pierce his scales, his bones are hard as metal, and he is immune to poisons. Should he decide that he wants to see the whole country ablaze, he would be able to do it without a problem before anyone can find a way to hurt, let alone kill, him. A monster like this one...", Havoc said in a serious tone, but suddenly he was interrupted by Riza. "Ed is snuggling him right now.", she stated, taking Havoc's chin and turning his head towards the arena. The dragon had dropped on its side, its tail wagging excitedly. Ed lay stomach down on the dragon's shoulder and cuddled him as the dragon carefully rubbed his nose against Ed's hair and sniffed him.

Ed sat up and placed both hands on the dragon's head. "I missed you too.", he said and the next moment he had the dragon's tongue on his face. The dragon licked his entire head once with the tip of its tongue. Ed's whole face was covered with his tongue and by the time the dragon finished licking him, Ed was quite wet. He wiped the drool from his face and frowned. "What are you doing? Are you trying to clean me? Or do you want to give me kisses? Okay, why not.", Ed said, amused, stood up on his feet and bent over the dragon's head. He pressed a kiss to the bridge of its nose that he had planned to place on its forehead. Ed crawled up on him until he was lying on the dragon's nose and could kiss his forehead after all. “There we go.", he said satisfied. The dragon wagged its tail so violently that it might damage the ground and it purred happily. Ed continued to pull himself upwards on him until he was sitting between the dragon's horns, which he was holding onto. “This is a comfy place. And what a view.", he muttered and let his legs dangle on the dragon's forehead. The pink tongue shot out of its mouth and reached Ed's feet, which made him laugh. "What were you saying?", Hughes asked Havoc as they watched.


	5. Chapter 5

Ed looked down at his feet as he walked along the dragon's back. He had climbed on top of it several times in the past few days, but today he walked its full length for the first time. He had taken off his shoes and climbed over its nose between its horns. On its neck he almost lost his balance several times, but here on his back it was easy to walk. It had a really broad back, after all. The black scales were warm and smooth. A bit like walking on warm marble. Ed walked right along the line of Spikes while the dragon looked over its shoulder and watched him.

"What are you doing?", Ed heard his brother's voice shout in surprise. When he looked up he saw Alphonse watching him confused, standing halfway up the stairs. Ed turned around and walked back until he was standing at the basde of the dragon's neck. From there he waved to him. "Come here, take a look at him.", he called back happily. He had told Alphonse a lot about the dragon so far, but Al hadn't come to see it before. But now he went down the stairs, although a little hesitantly. He watched the dragon nervously. He'd heard from Ed that he wasn't doing anything harmful to anyone, but still it was just unsettling to get close to such a big beast that could be so dangerous.

Ed climbed back onto the ground and patted the dragon's nose, which immediately stuck to his shoulder. He walked a little towards Alphonse and waved him over. “Alphonse, that's the big, dear boy I told you about. And that, sweetie, is my little brother Alphonse.“, he introduced the two to each other. The dragon blinked slowly at Alphonse, otherwise he didn't move. He was lying around on the floor as still as before. Alphonse approached him really slowly. His gaze slid over the broad wings, the muscles under the dark scales, the huge claws and finally to Ed's hands on the dragon's head.

He shook himself and stood next to Ed. Carefully he reached out a hand, but quickly withdrew it when the dragon's breath blew into his face. "It's okay, he's just sniffing you.", Ed reassured him. The dragon brought his nose a little closer to Alphonse and sniffed at him again, with Al remaining completely still, stiff as a board to be precise. Finally Ed just took Al's hand and placed it between the dragon's nostrils. Al winced in surprise, but then began to smile. "Wow, he's really warm.", he said. Ed laughed. "Wait until you are on his back. He's like a heater.", he said and ran back towards the dragon's shoulder. He ran up the dragon's paw onto its front leg until he was back on its back. "Come on.", he called to Al, who was still standing on the floor, undecided. "Uh... So... If it's okay...", Al muttered, looking at the dragon doubtfully. The dragon looked after Ed, but his gaze turned back to Al and he gave him a curt nod. Al blinked confused, but then he followed his brother, who called for him again.


	6. Chapter 6

For the first time since he was in this warm country, rain fell onto Roy's black scales. It was just a gentle drizzle, but even if it had been a heavy thunderstorm, he wouldn't have minded. The rain wouldn't even stop him from breathing fire if he tried, which he wouldn't. Should he ever use his fire on any occasion, he could expect a muzzle and more chains, as the people who captured him had unwittingly taught him. The people he was with now had never seen him breath fire, not even scratch the floor or pull the chain. They were completly relaxed on their high seats on which they sat and talked. Right now it was the turn of the blonde man and blonde woman to watch Roy. They kept switching through, which initially made Roy nervous because this way he was never left alone. By now, however, he was very happy about the constant presence of a few from the group. Aside from sleeping, listening to them talk to each other was the only occupation he had while waiting for his golden boy. 

Roy sat as close to the stairs as possible and didn't take his eyes off of the top of the stairs. For weeks his favorite human had been coming down to him from there to keep him company at pretty much the same time every day. At any moment now he would arrive, unless the rain kept him in his huge house. Roy hoped that wouldn't be the case. He longed for him. This tiny person was the best thing that had happened to him in a long time. After hunting him down, capturing him, and transporting him here so that he could be in other captivity, Roy had come to the conclusion that every human in the world must be a spawn from Hell, but then HE came along. This little boy with the golden mane and the beautiful, curiously sparkling eyes. His little hands had touched Roy's scales so gently, when Roy closed his eyes he could still feel where he had walked around on Roy's back with his brother the other day. He was so kind to Roy and made it so clear that he liked him. It felt so infinitely good to have him around and if Roy had to accept being on the chain for the time with the boy, he would do so. Because if he tried to tear himself away, they would all misinterpret it and attack him. Or worse: the beautiful human might become afraid of him. 

Roy shook his head to drive away this nightmarish thought when he heard the longed-for slapping of little feet in the puddles and then on the stairs. The human was wrapped in a cloak and hurried down the stairs. Roy got up immediately and tried to walk towards him, which completely tightened the chain. The boy giggled as Roy licked his face and rubbed his nose against him. Roy sniffed at him in test. He smelled like always, just a little wet. He didn't smell sick, he had bathed with rose soap today and had had lunch, oh, and - Roy sniffed his trousers' pockets - he had brought something with him. But that had to wait, first Roy had to make him comfortable. Roy took a step back, lay down, and formed a kind of nest with his front paws. Now the golden boy was sitting safe and secure on a patch of ground that was still dry because Roy had sat there. To complete the whole thing, Roy spread his wings and formed a roof over his human and his own head, which made the boy look up in surprise. He pulled back his hood and his disheveled blond mane fell over his shoulders. Roy immediatly rubbed his cheek against it as if he were drawn to a magnet. Through the scales he didn't really feel how soft the hair was, but at some point he would touch it properly and even braid it, he had promised himself. 

The boy laughed and leaned his torso against Roy's head. He ran one hand over his scales, the other rummaged in his pocket. "Hey, my big boy. I brought you something. I have no idea if you like something like that, but I thought it was so delicious, I just had to bring some for you.", he said and pulled out something that Roy had never seen before and that smelled sweet. He held it out to Roy in the palm of his flat hand, like people did when feeding a horse, and waited while Roy sniffed it and carefully licked it off of his hand. It was too small to really be registered on his big tongue and tasted as sweet as it smelled. That wasn't unpleasant, but also no taste that Roy would have valued, but he also ate the second one that was held up to him, because his human seemed pleased that he ate it. “These are almond cakes. Do you like snacks like that? I'll bring you more next time. And apple pie! Alphonse and I tried to bake an apple pie by ourselves once, it fell apart completely, but it still tasted good. Oh, and maybe I can bring you some stew. That is my favorite food, you know And... “, the boy blabbered on. Roy listened carefully and absorbed the sight of his happy smile.


	7. Chapter 7

Roy paced back and forth at dawn, his claws scraping across the ground. He needed a bit of exercise, but he didn't want to stretch and flap his wings in front of the people who were watching him, so he did it now, in one of those short periods of time when neither of them was around. At first they had made sure never to leave him completely alone and they had carried weapons with them the whole time, but now they were much more relaxed. Roy didn't want to disturb their calm in his presence. If they got upset, it would have bad consequences for him.

But the movement wasn't the only thing he used his time alone for. "Eh... E.... Ed-o.....", Roy muttered to himself. The last time he spoke was way back. He could remember most of the words and thanks to the people who were talking near him, he quickly remembered the rest too. Since his favorite human's brother had been here, Roy finally knew that his favorite human was called Ed. But the hardest part was the pronunciation. Roy's long neck and strong jaws with sharp fangs were designed to spit fire and bite prey, but not to speak human language. Still, with a little practice, he would be able to do it.

Suddenly Roy stopped moving. He could hear the sound of hasty footsteps coming from the direction of the stairs. His guardians never ran that fast and usually came from a different direction, but it was too early in the morning for Ed. But when Roy observed the stairs, it really was Ed who showed up there. He grinned as he ran down the stairs to see Roy staring at him in amazement. "Hey, my big boy!", Ed called to him, shaking him out of his stupor. Roy jumped spontaneously into the air, delighted to see him. He was hopping towards Ed so excitedly that he hit the ground wrongly and toppled over. Roy rolled onto his back and at the same time pushed himself further into Ed's direction. His tail whipped back and forth and he kneaded the air with his paws. Ed ran over to him and hugged his head as usual. From the twisted position, Roy managed to lick the back of his head, which messed up Ed's bedhead even more.

Ed pressed a kiss to the black scales between Roy's nostrils and then got down on his knees to be eye to eye with Roy. “Damn, you are so cute! Did you miss me? I missed you!”, Ed said, petting Roy's head with both hands. Roy fidgeted back and forth, his horns scratched the floor, but he didn't mind. He could only think of Ed. Ed pressed himself against Roy and sighed sadly. “I'm sorry, big boy, but I can't visit you tomorrow or this afternoon. My family and I pay a visit to a noble family, we won't be back until the day after tomorrow. I'm looking forward to seeing the Rockbells, but I'll really miss you.”, Ed explained. Roy had barely listened to him. He was too busy pressing his head to Ed.

Ed stayed a while longer to cuddle with Roy, but when it got brighter he finally said goodbye to his dragon. Roy watched him walk away, still lying on his back. "E....d..... E-ed ......", he mumbled quietly to himself. Twenty minutes later, when Havoc and Breda pulled the little wagon with a dead sheep on it to the dragon pit, they heard strange growls, and when they saw the dragon lying on its back, paws in the air, deep in thought, they just stared at it in confusion. Skeptically, they unloaded the sheep next to Roy and were relieved to find that he could roll back onto his stomach by himself. He gnawed at his sheep without noticing them.


	8. Chapter 8

Hughes exchanged a nervous look with Fuery as the two joined Havoc and Hawkeye. Actually, they should just take over, but the two blondes didn't move away. Like their colleagues who had just arrived, they watched the dragon with concern. "Has he moved in the meantime?", Fuery asked. "Not even flinched.", Havoc muttered back. An uneasy silence spread among the four. Ed had not been here for two days, and for a day and a half the dragon had been sitting as close as possible to the stairs from which Ed usually came to visit him every day. The whole time he stared at the top landing. He hadn't eaten anything, just growled to himself sometimes and none of them had seen him sleep.

“He'll be fine. Ed will be back soon after all.", Fuery mumbled, sounding unsure about his own words. "I'm not sure if he is aware of that.", Riza replied. Again everyone was silent, absorbed in their thoughts. "Maybe we should tell him that.", Hughes mused aloud. The other three looked at him as if he had gone mad. “Are you serious about starting a conversation with the dragon? That would be dangerous already if he was relaxed, but as long as he is in such a bad mood you can quickly get flambéed. And he doesn't understand you anyway.", Riza protested. Hughes shook his head. “He didn't set anyone ablaze even when he really had reason to. Why should he harm me when I talk to him? Even when we bring him food, he always waits until we have gained some distance before he starts to eat. And do you remember how Ed once leaned half his body into the dragon's mouth?”, he argued.

The other three exchanged dubious looks. Sure, Hughes was right, but caution was still better. After all, no one wanted to be killed by flames, teeth or both if the dragon suddenly stopped bothering to be harmless. "But...", Riza began and looked up at Hughes, but he was already gone. She jumped up and called Hughes to come back, but he was circling the arena to stand on the stairs the dragon was watching. Havoc and Fuery immediatly ran after him. Riza rolled her eyes at the three, but ran after them anyway.

Hughes stopped on the stairs at eye level with the dragon and waved both arms to get his attention. The dragon lowered its gaze to him and stared at him. Havoc, Fuery and Riza stopped a little further away, the dragon ignored them. "Hey, um, I don't know how clearly you understand me, but Ed will be back soon, okay? You don't have to worry, he hasn't forgotten or abandoned you.”, Hughes called to him. The dragon stared at him without even blinking. "I don't think he understands you.", Havoc muttered to Hughes, but Hughes waved it off. “Ed talks to him all the time. Even if he doesn't understand me, it might still comfort him a little. Right?”, he replied, the last word to the dragon.

The dragon eyed Hughes closely. Suddenly he nodded and lay down on the floor in a more relaxed position. He looked back and forth between the perplexed humans and finally even rested his head on his paws. The four exchanged surprised looks and Hughes grinned happily. "There, see? It did help after all. And soon Ed will be back, then he will be fine.", he stated in a good mood. The dragon stayed a little more relaxed, but still he didn't move until Ed was back.


	9. Chapter 9

Ed was impatient all the way home. Sure, it was nice to see the Rockbell family again. He had been particularly looking forward to his and Alphonse' childhood friend Winry, but now he wanted to be back home. Winry accompanied the Elrics to visit them too. She and Al talked while Ed looked out the window of the carriage, waiting to see the castle. Finally they got there and as soon as he could Ed ran towards the dragon pit. He was still wearing his beautiful red dress tunic, but he didn't have the patience to change.

Coincidentally, the same four dragon keepers were standing next to the arena who had tried to calm the dragon down. Little did they know that Ed was running over there. Unlike the dragon, which was still lying in the same place as the last few days, they didn't smell Ed's scent in the wind that was blowing into the arena. They were completely relaxed and got a huge shock when they heard a very loud and very sudden creaking sound. They jumped up and looked around. All eyes were quickly on the dragon. A remarkable change had happened to him. Just a moment ago he had been lying on the floor like a puppy that got left behind and had made himself as small as one could when one was that big. But now he was up, his wings halfway outstretched so he looked even bigger. He held his head high in the air and his mouth was slightly open, his teeth bared. He took deep breaths. His tail whipped back and forth and his claws dug into the ground. Before either of the four could say anything, the dragon jumped forward once again. His muscles tightened significantly and he threw all his body weight forward. Again they heard the loud, metallic creaking sound.

"The chain gives in.", Fuery muttered. The other three followed his gaze with their eyes, which was fixed on the chain instead of the dragon. They saw immediately what he meant. Although it was made of thick steel and was so heavy that it had taken a lot of people to lift it, the chain that held the dragon to the ground looked as if it would snap at any moment. The dragon had damaged it a lot with these two jumps alone, should he try it a few more times, it would break. The four dragon keepers panicked. Riza grabbed her rifle and released the safety lock in worry, Hughes began to instruct Havoc and Fuery to call the guards, but before any of them could do anything they heard another creaking sound, but this time it wasn't quite so loud but drawn out instead. When the four looked back at the dragon, they breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed.

Ed ran down the stairs, hair billowing behind him, He didn't stop until he was pressed against his dragon's forehead. He hugged him, didn't let go, and pressed against him as much as possible. "I missed you.", he whispered out of breath. The dragon made noises like a happy puppy as he pressed his head to Ed's body. Ed let himself sink down until he crouched on the floor. He leaned his forehead against the dragon's nose and smiled. His heart beat faster with joy as the dragon tapped his claws on the spot with excitement and gently rubbed his nose against him. Ed even cried with happiness. "I'm back, everything is fine.", he muttered. The dragon carefully wrapped a paw around Ed, pulled him close, and curled up so that Ed was lying on the dragon's head surrounded by the dragon's body. Ed snuggled up against him and pressed a kiss to the dragon's forehead.


	10. Chapter 10

Winry stared nervously at the dragon. "And you are sure that this is a good idea?", she asked Alphonse again to be on the safe side. He smiled happily. "Of course. Just look at how happy he is to see Ed again. He's a nice guy, this dragon.", he replied and led Winry down the stairs. Winry was still a little hesitant. Sure, Alphonse had a much better sense for dangerous situations than his older brother, who had ran into the dragon pit as soon as they got to the castle. Still, she had a bad feeling when she looked at the dragon that had curled up around Ed. The animal was huge and deep black. And the huge claws, the big horns and the sharp teeth made him look nothing like the puppy Ed had described him as.

Even so, Winry followed the Elric brothers down into the arena, onto the floor of which the dragon was chained. Or rather, was chained so far. The chain had cracks in the metal, which one would not think to be possible at such a thick chain. When Alphonse reached the bottom of the stairs, he calmly walked up to the dragon and greeted it. The dragon raised its head and made a noise that sounded like a low growl. It bowed its head and sniffed Alphonse, then turned back to Ed, who was climbing onto its back. Ed waved to Alphonse and then, when he saw her, to Winry too. The dragon wasted no attention on anyone but Ed until Ed climbed off of it and joined Al and Winry who were standing in front of the dragon.

The dragon writhed from its curled up pose and instead lay like a sphinx. It looked Winry up and down and Winry could have sworn it looked suspicious of her. Ed stood on one of its paws and petted the dragon on the nose. “Hey, my big boy. This is Winry Rockbell. Alphonse and I have known her since we were children.”, he explained to him. The dragon nodded barely noticeably, leaned forward and sniffed Winry from a little further away than he had done with Al. Winry nodded to him. "Hello, big boy.", she said. The dragon stared at her unmoved, then turned back to Ed and started carefully licking his hair.

Ed laughed and dropped onto the paw he was standing on. He crossed his legs and placed his hands on the dragon's lower jaw, which he then stroked. The dragon gave a purr and wiggled its jagged tail happily. Any suspicion had completely fallen away off of it and it really seemed as kind and harmless as Ed and Al had claimed. Alphonse seemed to guess Winry's thoughts. He sat down on the dragon's paw next to Ed and grinned. "There you see.", he said, dangling his legs between the sharp claws. Winry smiled back. She walked to the dragon's other paw and wanted to sit down there.

Before she could do that, the dragon pulled its paw away a little. He didn't look at her, so at first she thought he hadn't done it on purpose, but when she followed his paw he pulled it away again and this time he interrupted his attention to Ed to growl at her. Winry exchanged irritated looks with the Elric brothers. "What's that supposed to be for? She won't hurt you. Otherwise I wouldn't let her near you at all.", Ed explained to the dragon with a frown, but the dragon just looked at him in silence. His gaze shifted between Ed and Winry and he snorted unwillingly. Al suddenly giggled. "Oh dear, I think I know what's bothering him.", he muttered and turned to look directly at the dragon. “Listen, Winry is just a friend. She's our childhood friend, she won't take Ed away from you, okay?”, he told him. The dragon gazed at him thoughtfully, then sighed and slowly moved his paw in Winry's direction so that she could sit on it. Ed turned bright red. "You were jealous?", he asked the dragon stuttering. The dragon snorted and rubbed its nose against Ed's head.


	11. Chapter 11

Roy was in a bad mood. The stupid girl had been inseparable from the Elric brothers for days now, the three of them ran everywhere together. Sure, Alphonse had said he didn't have to worry that he might lose Ed because of her, but he still couldn't quite internalize that. She was the friend of the two, so Roy had to put up with her. He told himself that every time she sat on his paw, when she patted Ed on the shoulder, and especially when she showed anger towards Ed. It was getting on Roy’s nerves, to say the least. She was noble and young, should he growl at her or burn her head off, he would be in trouble. Not just with the guards, but, much worse, with Ed. So Roy endured her.

He even endured her trying to climb onto his shoulder. Roy stood there and watched as Ed and Winry tried to climb up one of his front legs, while Al watched them both amused from afar. If only Ed tried to get on his back, Roy would have fallen onto his knees long ago, but if he did that now, Winry would manage it too. Ed was the only human in the world who was allowed to climb onto Roy and, if he wanted, ride him. When Roy had allowed Alphonse to enjoy the view from his back, it had been an exception. Alphonse was just very friendly and Ed's brother. But he did not give Winry the right to usehimt as a jungle gym.

Roy snorted and shook his head. It couldn't go on like this. He tilted his head over Ed and pressed his nose to him. All it took was a breath from Roy to blow Ed's hair aside. Then he could easily close his lips around the collar of Ed's tunic and lift him up. Without paying attention to Winry, who fell down, Roy walked to the other side of the arena with his slightly fidgeting favorite human and curled up there. Roy carefully set Ed down on his paws and licked Ed's head. Ed looked up at him, puzzled. "What's that supposed to be for?", he tried to ask, but Roy licked him again and, out of habit, Ed closed his eyes and mouth and held his breath until the dragon's tongue was finished scrubbing over him.

Ed pushed Roy's mouth away from him with both hands and wiped the dragon slobber from his face. “It's fine. I'm clean. What do you want?”, he complained. Roy cleared his throat. He twitched the tip of his tail in excitement that he would be able to answer the question. "Eeh... E-d..... Ed...", Roy stuttered. It wasn't his best attempt to say Ed's name, but it was understandable. Ed stared at him with wide eyes and gradually a smile spread across his face.


	12. Chapter 12

"Ed. Ed. Edward.", Roy mumbled more and more confidently. He didn't want to stop saying Ed's name. Ed was so happy about it. He was terribly cute when he was happy. "Ed.", Roy repeated. "Yes exactly! That's my name!”, Ed shouted. He stood on his tiptoes on Roy's paw and placed his hands on the underside of Roy's chin. "Ed", Roy said again, licking Ed's cheek with the tip of his tongue.

"Wow, he can talk!", Winry shouted as she came running. Roy picked Ed up, rolled away from Winry, and set Ed down again. "My Ed", he growled at Winry. She stopped puzzled and turned to Alphonse, who began to laugh. "He's still jealous.", he stated and went to Roy. "My Ed.", Roy repeated defiantly, whipping his tail back and forth. He calmed down as Ed snuggled up against his nose. "Say it again. Say my name again.", he begged enthusiastically. "Ed", Roy purred.

Alphonse patted Roy's paw. "You're doing really well, big ...", he began. Before he could say 'boy' Roy cut him off. "Roy", he said. Alphonse blinked in confusion and exchanged a look with Ed. "Is that your name?", Ed wanted to know. Roy nodded. "Roy. Ed.“, he muttered, then turned to Alphonse. "Al", he said. Alphonse smiled. "You're getting better and better, Roy.", he said.

While they were enjoying Roy's developing talent for speech, Hughes, who read the newspaper while on duty with Breda, heard the unfamiliar voice and looked up. He went to the edge of the box and looked down. The dragon wagged its tail and tended to Ed and Al. A familiar sight. But then Hughes heard him speak. "Hughes", the dragon shouted. He had noticed Hughes and seemed to be smiling at him. Hughes' jaw dropped down. He stared speechlessly at the dragon while Breda behind him started laughing at him until Roy said his name too.


	13. Chapter 13

"He...speaks?", Hohenheim stuttered in surprise. “Yes, your majesty. The dragon speaks.“, Riza repeated formally. "Sometimes he doesn't want to stop.", Havod added quietly. Riza silenced him with a glance. “Since when has he been speaking?”, Hohenheim wanted to know.

“For about three days. And in that time he has made considerable progress. He started with names, then he continued with essential words like yes and no and now he's giving me tips when I play chess against Falman.”, Hughes informed him and grinned. Falman looked angry. "Roy's good at chess, although we just explained to him how to do it.", he muttered sourly.

Hohenheim switched his gaze between the dragon guards and his sons, who were fidgeting excitedly next to him. "And he's intelligent?", he asked after a short while of silence. Everyone nodded. "Very much.", Falman said. "It is possible to have stimulating conversations with him.", Riza added. "And he's polite too.", Hughes said.

Hohenheim frowned. “Come on, father!", Ed blurted out impatiently. Al grabbed his brother's arm to hold him back. “Roy is too smart to harm anyone. He knows how to behave.", he agreed. "Well, fine.", Hohenheim said at last, "You may untie him from the chain."


	14. Chapter 14

Ed was first in line to run to the arena. He couldn't wait to tell Roy the great news. Finally his dragon was allowed to move freely. Followed by his brother, Winry and the dragon guards, he ran down the stairs to Roy, who was standing attentively and slightly irritated by the excitement near the stairs. "Roy! We can take off the chain! Father allowed it! You can finally get off the chain!", Ed called to him and ran against Roy's nose. "We can take off the chain.”, he repeated and laughed at Roy's incredulous look. "Really? The chain is coming off?“, he asked amazed and Ed nodded happily.

Roy threw his head back and a creepy growl escaped his throat, which must have been a laugh. Roy shook his head like a horse and bared his teeth. "Finally!", he called and his voice was slightly distorted. Before Hughes brought the key to the collar to him, Roy freed himself from its anchorage to the ground. He jumped back to be at a distance from the humans, leaned into the direction of the iron ring to which his chain was attached and opened his mouth wide.

Immediately a huge stream of fire stroke down onto the iron. The flames swirled around the metal, licking it, melting it. Ed watched relieved from a distance as Roy broke free. It didn't take much of his fire to ruin the chain and after he closed his mouth again, a backward jump was all it took to tear it apart for good. Roy tilted his head back, spread his wings, and let out a happy hiss as if he were cheering. His legs bent, he jumped up and with powerful flaps of his wings he flung himself into the air.

Ed laughed with joy as he watched with his head leaned back as the dragon made his way towards the sky. Roy let his tongue hang out of his mouth and moved so quickly, as if he couldn't wait, like a dog that is finally allowed to run around again after an eternity. He moved further and further away from the ground. Ed ran back up the stairs to get a better view of him, but even from there Roy looked like a black speck in the sky.

Ed gulped. It suddenly occurred to him that Roy might never come back. Why should he go back to a place where he had been chained down when instead he could be free and fly far away. Ed took a deep breath and sat down on the floor to collect himself. He wanted Roy to be happy. So he would let him go without protest, but it still hurt. The thought of never seeing Roy again hurt his heart.

While he was thinking about this with bowed head, the dragon approached him. Ed noticed the wind caused by his wings and looked up. Roy landed right in front of Ed and licked his face, which made Ed laugh with relief. Immediately Ed stood up and hugged Roy's nose as he often did. While he was distracting Roy, Hughes unlocked the collar around Roy's neck and finally the last bit of chain fell off the dragon.


	15. Chapter 15

Roy hopped excitedly through the palace gardens. He sniffed every flower and bit every fruit he found in the trees. And in between he rolled around in the grass. The whole time he gave a happy, loud purr that made his joy even more obvious. Ed followed him and enjoyed the sight of his happy dragon. But it stung his heart a little too. Because he could see so clearly how much Roy had missed not being chained.

“Man, he's really acting like a puppy. When I go home tomorrow I will have a lot to tell.", Winry stated behind Ed, and Alphonse answered with an affirmative hum. Ed ignored them and quickened his pace. He ran to Roy, who had calmed down and was lying on a patch of grass.

Ed knelt down on the grass in front of Roy's nose and hugged it. "You look happy.", he stated with a smile. “I have you, I have my freedom. Of course I'm happy.", Roy muttered. He was breathing a little heavily from romping around, which his muscles were no longer used to. "What about you? Are you happy?", Roy suddenly asked. Ed looked up in surprise. “Sure. Why not? I am also happy that you are no longer on the chain.”, he replied.

Roy got up and stretched. "I want to make you happy. I've wanted that since I met you. I thought to myself, what a wonderful human that is. For him I would try to fit into his world.", he explained and stretched until his joints cracked. “It's really exhausting to be honest. I haven't tried it in a long time, but it will be easier after I had practice.", he muttered.

Roy stretched out completely and more and more his joints cracked through his body. He turned his head this way and that way, flapped his wings briefly and kneaded the earth with his paws. Ed got up. Irritated, he wanted to ask what was going on, when he noticed something strange. Roy seemed to be shrinking. 

Roy turned back and forth and fidgeted in place. His body seemed to stretch and push into itself at the same time. The prongs on his neck and back disappeared, the tail became shorter, the wings withdrew. Roy managed the last part of the transformation very quickly.

Suddenly a man with disheveled black hair was sitting on the spot where a large black dragon had just stood a moment ago. He wore a soiled, formerly white shirt and black linen trousers and worn boots. When he raised his head, the same dark eyes as usual sparkled in Roy's handsome face. In fact, he was the most handsome man Ed had ever seen.

Roy stood up shakily and balanced on his two legs before he managed to walk towards Ed. Ed blushed as he studied Roy's human form. He was muscular and strong. And just plain hot. And the smile he gave Ed was amazing. Roy placed his arms around Ed's waist and pulled him close. "I've always wanted to do this.", he said and hugged Ed.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating in such a long time. I don't have much motivation for this story anymore but I'm planning to finish it anyway.

Roy didn't want to let go of Ed anymore. He hugged him tightly, squeezed him gently and stuck his nose into Ed's hair, inhaling the scent of Ed deeply. Ed closed his eyes and pressed himself against Roy. He enjoyed the warmth Roy exuded. It felt good to be held by him. Ed startled from his relaxation when he felt Roy's tongue brush over his cheek. He frowned and opened his eyes. Roy didn't seem to find anything unusual about the fact that he had just licked Ed. Basically it wasn't, he'd done it many times in his dragon form. 

Ed kissed him quickly on the cheek, then took a step back. He turned to Winry and Alphonse, who had watched Roy's transformation with their mouths open. Ed took Roy's hand and walked with him to the two of them. “That's convenient, isn't it? Now we can take him into the castle without worrying that he will get stuck in the door frame.", he said and grinned. Alphonse laughed and nodded. He stepped up to Roy and let him hug him too. Roy didn't want to stop taking turns hugging Ed and Al. He could hardly tear himself away from Ed in particular. 

After a while Ed took Roy's hand again and led him into the castle. Roy was amazed at the huge building with its many rooms and corridors. He looked at the paintings and decorations on the walls with almost childlike curiosity. Soon they were in Ed's room. While Ed, Al and Winry sat down there and talked, Roy walked around the room, looked at everything and started to drag pillows and blankets to Ed's bed. 

He made a construction out of them that Ed didn't recognize at first. But when Roy sat down in it and pulled Ed in with him he realized that it was a nest. Ed and Roy spent the rest of the day in the nest and snuggled into it for the night. Roy curled up around Ed. He was lying on his side behind Ed, his chest against Ed's back, his arms around Ed. Ed quickly fell asleep warmed and cuddled by his dragon.


End file.
